Atlantica - 01.02.2006, Page 11

AT L A N T I CA 9
…is coming in furry packages for residents of rural Mozambique like this young girl
photographed in the southern village of Hindane. In March, the government’s effort
to rid the nation of landmines will get a boost from a newly activated force of MDRs, or
Mine Detection Rats. Belgian organization APOPO found that rats’ keen sense of smell,
adaptability, and penchant for performing trained tasks make them a natural mine
detection tool. The organization, which works in Africa, uses leashed giant pouched
rats to sniff surfaces for buried explosives. There are 22 trained MDRs in Mozambique
today, 17 of which have passed the appropriate tests to start their work.
Though landmine casualties in Mozambique are low compared to countries like
Sri Lanka and Cambodia, over 10 percent of Mozambique’s population still faces the
daily danger of setting off one of the landmines riddling the country after its 16-year
civil war.
It’s estimated that about 100 countries are still affected by landmines. In 2005,
thirteen countries were found to still be producing antipersonnel mines, including
North Korea and the United States.
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ggggggggggggGood News
009 airmail Atlantica 206.indd 9 21.2.2006 11:28:24